Happy 2023! Wishing you all a year filled with joy, health and success! |
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The 2023 National & International invitations have been sent out!
Check your inbox or contact us if you haven't received your invitation!
Participating in the CiB program has proven, positive benefits! While impacting all sectors of your municipality, CiB will help to encourage and enhance community involvement, improve green infrastructure, and become more environmentally sustainable. The very high Return on Investment that has been noted by other communities make CiB one of the best investments you can make for your hometown!
The deadline to register is February 28th, 2023
Sonia Parrino
Program Specialist
1-514-694-8871
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SAVE THE DATE
Join us for the
2023 CiB National
Symposium & Awards Celebrating
"Northern Blooms"
September 27-30, 2023
Wood Buffalo, Alberta
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Purple has a variety of effects on the mind and body, including uplifting spirits, calming the mind, enhanced feelings of spirituality and encouraging imagination and creativity. From lilacs to coneflowers, from coast to coast, let's paint the country purple this year! |
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FLOWERS MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY
There are virtually unlimited palettes of colour and colour combinations in the kinds of cut flowers available in Canada. Bloom shapes and forms range from simple to complex, symmetrical to radial. An individual bloom viewed up close provide a pleasing visual experience as when it’s an element of a beautiful arrangement, or a part of a room’s décor. Fragrances flow from gentle scents to bold and evocative aromas.
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The ways the eye and nose can be delighted with flowers are almost unlimited because they are based on our personal preferences. Flowers are naturally beautiful and, for most people, their presence improves the aesthetics and enjoyment of a space.
Behavioural researchers have explored the link between flowers and emotion and concluded that flowers are a natural and healthy moderator of moods, having an immediate impact on happiness.
Research findings at Rutgers University included the following:
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BC Garden Clubs
BC Garden Clubs asked their members throughout British Columbia to submit photos of purple plants in their garden. You can view the photos or see a recording of their presentation via the buttons below. Enjoy!
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The Canadian Garden Council will continue to celebrate gardening across Canada by introducing Live the Garden Life!
How will you live the garden life in 2023? Here are some ideas:
- Visiting a garden or garden event
- Discovering a garden destination (municipality, hospitality business)
- Gardening at home
- Belonging to a garden club or horticultural society
- Teaching gardening (school)
- Volunteering in the garden community
- Gardening for health and wellness benefits (therapy)
- Gardening for the environment
- Purchasing garden products and professional services for best results
Stay tuned for more information!
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Special thanks to America in Bloom for sharing their beautiful video featuring high school students from Logan, Ohio. This a capella group performed the song, starred in the video, and helped their friends at school to put it all together in their high school production studio. We think you’ll be impressed. But perhaps even more importantly, this big group of teenagers came together, in downtown Logan, to join involved, interested adults in cleaning, planting, and making their town beautiful. Together. That perfectly embodies the spirit of America in Bloom!
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Did you make some New Year’s resolutions for 2023? Plan to become more physically active, eat more nutritious food, connect with nature? Gardening is a great activity that addresses all of these.While you are waiting for the weather to warm up, plan a vegetable garden to provide your family and community with nutritious foods. Design a floral garden that provides a habitat for pollinators and a place for people to connect with nature and spiritually renew. Have the youth around you join in with your resolution goals.
Nutrients for Life has the resources to assist you with nurturing youth’s interest in horticulture: readers, activities, science inquiries, videos, and online games that explore the field of soil science and plant growth.
Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are essential for plant growth. These required plant nutrients are featured in Nutrients for Life’s free downloadable Nutrients Readers that are available in French or English. Dig into plant nutrients to prepare for this year’s gardening season and the achievement of your resolution goals.
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Next World Clean Up Day is on September 16th, 2023!
The beautiful trails and coast are a part of who we are as Canadians. It binds us together, no matter where we live. Sadly, too much trash is choking our environment. More than eight million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean annually. And while no silver bullet exists, CLEANUP FOR GOOD in partnership with Let's Do It Foundation, and a group of passionate volunteers, lead the world's largest volunteer effort to keep the beaches, trails, and ocean free of trash on World Cleanup Day.
Join the movement for a clean planet!
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2023 gardening trends encourage responsibility and sustainability
Recently, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) announced their 2023 gardening trends, which will undoubtedly influence the professional horticulture industry and novice gardeners throughout North America as the growing season emerges in the spring.
Andrew Bunting, PHS’s Vice President of Horticulture, says, “These 2023 gardening trends offer a great way for gardeners to get inspired and get a feel for what professionals at the forefront of this industry are doing in their gardens. Whether you’re a beginner gardener or a seasoned expert, these trends can breathe new life into your space in an approachable way.”
PHS was founded in 1827 and remains committed to its original mission that the power of horticulture can result in positive social and environmental changes within communities. Their list of 2023 gardening trends highlights the rising interest by everyday citizens to be more responsible and impactful with their purchasing decisions while being more mindful of their overall carbon footprint. Below are a few of the gardening trends they highlight for 2023.
- Ecological Gardening
- Utilizing Fallen Leaves
- Reducing the Reliance on Gas-Powered Tools
- Water-Wise Gardens
- Crazy for Houseplants
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Apply to have a #GreenMyCity project in your community!
The Green Cities Foundation and our Partners, like Communities in Bloom share a commitment to connecting plants and people, and revitalizing green areas for community members to enjoy and benefit from. This is especially the case in cities, where more than 80 percent of Canadians reside.
The #GreenMyCity program supports the restoration and built of green spaces, serving different populations and in different environments from parks, community gardens, sports fields, playgrounds and public open spaces.
Greenery is a critically important green infrastructure that makes communities more resilient and healthier.
● They help slow down climate change by storing away carbon.
● They manage stormwater in urban areas to prevent flooding.
● They provide local wildlife with essential habitat.
● They increase our mental and physical well-being.
The Green Cities Foundation wants to work together with you to Green Your Community! We can provide matching funds and/or material and labour donations to support green space renovation projects in your neighbourhood.
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Email completed applications to frydda@gcfoundation.ca. Applications will be reviewed and awarded based on its ability to fulfill our mission, and on a first come, first served basis.
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This year, the $2,000 grants will support 216 park events (in-person and virtual) in Metro Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Greater Toronto Area, National Capital Region (Ottawa-Gatineau), Montreal, Québec City and Halifax Regional Municipality!
- Successful applicants will use the grant to host three events between April 15th and December 31st, 2023.
- Those events must support the ongoing care and protection of green spaces through environmental education, sustainability and stewardship initiatives.
- Groups are not required to have a trustee or charitable status to apply for the grant.
- This grant can be combined with other sources of funding.
Applications are due February 20, 2023
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The Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) is pleased to announce the launch of a final funding round for the Youth Employment Experience.
This program will provide direct financial support (via 100% wage subsidies) to local governments, allowing them to offer placements that will focus on youth gaining a broad range of skills, knowledge and experience in the community parks and recreation sector. Not only will this program provide hands-on training, but each youth will be paired with a mentor at their place of employment to provide an immersive experience. Via this program, local governments will be able to hire additional youth to advance their parks and recreation priorities.
Applications are due February 17, 2023
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The CiB Board of Directors are thrilled to announce that the
2024 Symposium & Awards
will be held in
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island!
SAVE THE DATE!
October 17-20, 2024
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Communities in Bloom would like to invite you to submit an application to host a future Communities in Bloom Symposium and Awards event. We have prepared the RFP for the 2025-2027 years. If your community is interested, please complete the RFP and return it to the Program Specialist at bloom@cib-cef.com before June 30th 2023.
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Do you have a great volunteer you'd like us to celebrate?
Send the information to bloom@cib-cef.com and we'll feature them in an upcoming e-News, or on Social Media!
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If you have any questions, please contact:
Sonia Parrino
Program Specialist
1-514-694-8871
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Communities in Bloom is made possible by the generous support of our
sponsors and partners. We wish to thank them for their contribution
to the quality of life and civic pride in Canadian communities.
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You are receiving this email from Communities in Bloom, a national non-profit organization with charity status. For comments or questions, please contact us at
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